Swivel button



Jan. 30, 1946. F. G. PURINTON v 2,188,443

' SWIVEL BUTTON Filed Jan. 2s, 193s E12-zag?? an'on,

Patented Jan. 30, 1940 UNITED STAT-Es SWIVEL BUTTONI Forrest G. Purinton, Waterbury, Conn., assignor to ThePatent Button Company, Waterbury, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application January 28, 1938, Serial No. 187,523

` 1.01am.`y (01.24495) My invention relates to'new and useful im-v provements rin buttons, and more particularly to a novel type of tack button. p

As is well known to those skilled in the art, tack buttons are those in which a metal tack is to be driven up into an anchorior die within the button and there deformed to tightly hold the button in its position on the -cloth to which it is attached.

Tack buttons are usually attached by feeding the button heads from one hopper of a buttonattaching machine and the tacks from another hopper and led to the button-attaching station where the tack is driven up through the cloth into the button head and there deformed and securely fastened.

One of the objects of the present invention is to form a tack button that will be relatively cheap in construction, in that the button head or body proper is to be made of a molded plastic material while the die or anchor is to be formed of metal. The anchor is then snapped within a central opening of the button head, so that after the tack is once driven into the anchor within the button head proper, there will be no possibility of the anchor becoming detached from the plastic button head or the button from the cloth, while, at the same time, the button head is allowed to swivel in order that it will roll between the fingers easily when placed through a buttonhole.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a relatively inexpensive swivel button consisting of but two parts, that is, the body or button head, into which will be snapped the metal anchor, the anchor then held by a tack, thus vsecurely holding the button head but allowing it to swivel or turn about said anchor.

Still another object of the invention is to produce a relatively light button wherein the button head proper may swivel about the metalinserted anchor while the dome of the anchor provides a surface for deforming the prong of the tack when the tack is driven into the same. The dome also extends slightly above the upper surface of the button head so that when the material with the buttons thereon is ironed, the dome will tend to keep the iron on of the plastic button head and protect the same.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain new and novel features and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully explained and pointed out in the claim.

Referring now to the drawing showing a preferred embodiment of the invention,

Fig. l is a top plan view of a plastic button head or body proper; y l Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view thereof; 1

Fig. 3 isa top plan view of the metal anchor;

4is a side elevation thereof; Fig. 5 isa cross sectional View thereof; Fig. 6 vis 'a vertical sectional View of the button, with the anchor snapped into position;

Fig. 7 is a similar View, showing the button attached to clothing and the tack as having been deformed within the anchor to thus securely hold the button in place.

Referring now to the drawing, and for the moment to Figs. 1 and 2, there is shown what I term thebutton head or body proper I, which is preferably made of a plastic material, while formed centrally thereof is an opening or core 3, which is ared inwardly as it approaches the under surface to form the small rim 4, the core then aring again slightly outwardly, as at 5.

It will be understood that the button head may be of any desired thickness or shape but the core through the center must be provided with the small rim or seat 4, as it is on this rim that the die or anchor is to be supported until the button is attached.

Referring now for the moment to Fig. 5, there is shown the metal anchor or die 6, which is perforate in its bottom for the reception of the tack, as at 1. There is also provided the internal chamber 8 while the top surface of the chamber is domed, as may be seen at 9. The die or anchor on its outer surface is rolled inwardly, as at I9, and flares slightly outwardly, as at II. In other words, the external contour of the die is such that it may be snapped within the core 3 of the button head I, as shown in Fig. 6, and will prevent the button head from being pulled away from the anchor after thelatter is secured by a tack to the cloth.

The snap t of the anchor permits the handling of the buttons before they are attached without any danger of the anchor falling out or being displaced with relation to its head. Thus, the buttons, after being so assembled, may be thrown into a hopper (not shown) of a button-attaching machine and attached in the same manner that all tack buttons are attached, that is, a tack I2 with its prong I2 will be forced upwardly through the cloth into the anchor and the prong will be deformed, as at I4, by striking the inner upper surface 9 of the chamber 8 to thus hold the anchor and button head in their attached position to the cloth I3.

After the button has thus been attached, it

will be seen that both the anchor and the button head proper are held, as the shape of the die and the shape of the button head are such that the button head cannot be pulled over the flared upper portion of the anchor.

Inasmuch as the t between the button head and the die was a snap t, it will be seen that the head may rotate with relation to the die or anchor, which allows the button head to roll slightly within the fingers when forced through the button hole. This is an advantage as a twisting strain on the button head is not trans? ferred to the tack.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that I have devised a tack button which consists of but two parts, one preferably of plastic material and the other of metal, so that the cost of manufacture will be relatively small While the cost of assembly is also reduced over other buttons of a similar nature.

Finally, the button head may swivel or turn with relation to its die or anchor, `but after the button is once attached, there is no possibility of its becoming detached from its cloth.

I have not shown any insignia or enamel or covering on the button, but it is understood that the button might be enameled or the insignia might be molded in the button head without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventon.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: u

A tiltable or swivel head tack button including a relatively fiat plastic body, said body provided with a central bore, said bore enlarged in its upper portion to form an anchor-receiving chamber, the said bore also arng slightly outwardly and downwardly from a plane just below the chamber, a narrow rim circumferentially of the bore at the base of the chamber and forming a seat for an anchor, an anchor resting in said chamber, said anchor being restricted circumferentially in a plane opposite the aforementioned rim to receive the same, the outer general contour of the anchor corresponding to the inner contour of the walls of the aforementioned chamber, said anchor adapted to form a snap t within said chamber for temporarily holding the anchor in position, said anchor also adapted to receive and deform a tack fastener during a button-.attaching operation to thereby secure the button head permanently in place but permit the same to tilt with respect to its anchor.

FORREST G. PURINTON. 

